Eugenie Bouchard Reveals Only Thing That Could Change Her Retirement Decision

Tuesday, 29 July 2025 at 11:26

byErik Virostko

Eugenie Bouchard returned to the tennis courts this year, but it came with a retirement announcement. That decision, however, can be overturned.

Before returning to the tennis courts in Newport this year, the Canadian player last competed at her home WTA 1000 event in Toronto last year. She played in the qualifying, but lost in the first round to Moyuka Uchijima.

Almost 12 months later, Bouchard returned to the tennis courts at the WTA 125 tournament in Newport. She lost in the first round to Anna Sinclair Rogers and announced her retirement from professional tennis at the Canadian Open in Montreal.

That's a home tournament for Bouchard, so it made sense for her to retire in front of the home crowd. But in her first match at the event, something unexpected happened. The former Wimbledon finalist beat Emiliana Arango, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, reaching the second round of the tournament.

It was an emotional night for Bouchard, who made a promise during her on-court interview. She said that if she wins the title in Montreal, she would not retire from the sport.

"If I win this tournament, I will not retire."

To win the tournament, she would still need to get past many great players. Bouchard's next opponent will be the 17th-seeded Belinda Bencic. Speaking during her post-match press conference, the Canadian admitted that she had a chance to think about the upcoming match.

"I've thought about it a little bit since the match. She's obviously a great player. It's funny, I played here in Toronto ten years ago, and then she ended up winning the tournament. So, I know it will be a crazy tough match."

"I'll probably do stuff in practice tomorrow, kind of thinking about playing against her. She loves to take it early, change direction. So I've had some battles against her, so I'm looking forward to it."

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Bouchard played one of her best matches in recent times, bringing up the "old Genie." When asked why she thought she was able to perform like her old self, the 31-year-old explained that the home-court advantage played a huge role in that.

"I think coming back to Montreal, you know (laughing). I had these visions of like when I've played here in the past and just good feelings on that court with that crowd. It just really brought me back to some very nice memories I've had here over the years."

"And, also, just the tennis habits kind of kicked back in. I haven't played in front of a crowd like that in a while or a big match like that in a while. I really tried to be disciplined with my focus. Then all my habits, my between-point habits, my changeover habits, that kind of came back."

"I don't really use those in pickleball, so it's been a while, and I'm a little rusty with them, but they were there. It was still inside me (smiling)."